MUNSTER CEO GARRETT Fitzgerald doesn’t believe the appointment of Andy Farrell will undermine the positions of head coach Anthony Foley and his backroom staff.
Former England assistant coach Farrell was at Munster training this morning in an observational capacity only, but will commence his new advisory role this week.
Initially, Farrell will work with Munster as a “consultant” two days each week and will not be present on match days.
However, Fitzgerald indicated that there is no “specific function” to Farrell’s role, leaving the door open for the rugby league legend to take on greater responsibility.
Fitzgerald explained that Munster had been looking to make an appointment in this capacity for some weeks, and outlined that Farrell had been targeted even before Munster were aware that the IRFU had made him an offer.
“We did look at a number of options, he came up on our radar,” said Fitzgerald in Limerick this afternoon. “It was a complete coincidence that when he was on our radar, the IRFU were actually in discussions with him. We didn’t know that at the time.
He fitted the bill really because whilst there were a number of other people available, his knowledge of the Northern Hemisphere game and being based in it, just out of international rugby and all the background he has, he was the ideal fit for it.
“We started off the season well, we’ve run into a patch in the season that you’d prefer not to. We would have weekly meetings with the coaching staff and our plan through the Professional Games Board was to do everything we could to help the situation or support them.”
The impression is that Farrell’s arrival will cause a degree of upheaval behind the scenes at Munster, but Fitzgerald said that there will be no great alteration to how the squad and coaching staff work.
However, there was a feeling from above that some change was needed in order to help Munster arrest their alarming run of bad form.
“There’s no change to the coaching structure,” said Fitzgerald. “We’ve brought Andy in as a consultant to work with the coaching team, predominantly. To assist them, to have a fresh voice in there, to look at what they’re actually doing, to see if it can be tweaked.
“At this time of the season, that’s the right and professional way of looking at it. You’re not just going to change everything. There is no change in our structure, Anthony remains as head coach. Andy is working with them and started today on that.”
The plan “initially” is that Farrell will work with Munster two days each week, most likely on their heavy training days, which generally take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fitzgerald says that plan will then be reviewed, while stressing that Farrell’s remit is across all areas.
“Any input he has is not specific to defence or attack, it’s an overall thing. It could be the overall game plan, it could be meeting with the defence coach, the attack coach, everything like that.
“There is no specific plan, it’s general and I think his background is he’s well qualified. There’s no specific function.”
Fitzgerald also stated that head coach Foley welcomed the move to appoint Farrell as a consultant. The Munster CEO does not believe the arrival of the Englishman will undermine Foley and his coaching team.
I wouldn’t look at it that way,” said Fitzgerald. “You could look at it if you wanted to see it that way, I wouldn’t. First of all, Anthony very much welcomed the idea and is totally supportive of it, as he has been when other people have come in at different times to help and review situations.
“We don’t see it that way, and from the discussion myself and Anthony had with John Kelly [chairperson of the PGB], he’s delighted with it. He sees it as an opportunity to learn off a past player and a past player who has coached up to the highest level.”
Fitzgerald also confirmed that no discussions have taken place with former head coach Declan Kidney to make a return to Munster in a similar, longer-term position to that which Farrell is now occupying.
“I meet Declan on a regular basis and I’d be friendly with him, but there hasn’t been any discussions in that area.”
